The touch of sensitive zone with the hand on the nose of the shark has unusual consequences: The shark opens his mouth and and comes relatively far from the water. (00014490)

Description:

WeiÃŸer Hai/Great White Shark/Carcharodon carcharias

Hand contact with the shark nose

"On one occasion when Andre Hartman was in the near vicinity of Dyer Island and Geyser Rock and had anchored about six miles off the coast of Gansbaai in South Africa, a white shark came up immediately to his boat. However he wasnâ€™t interested in the fish bait, but wanted to bite the outboard motor. Andre Hartman stroked him on the nose and tried to push him away carefully. In doing so he made an unusual discovery: the white shark came out of the water further, laid his head back and opened his mouth. As if in slow motion he poised for a moment, then returned to his own element again. By coincidence Andre Hartman discovered how the white shark reacts when he is touched in this sensitive area. Naturally the film crew, photographers and tourists were completely enraptured and of course the other Shark Tour Operators immediately copied this. But none of them reached the perfection of Andre Hartman. Today these open-mouth activities are forbidden â€“ quite rightly so. The white shark is not familiar with this from nature. He is being put on show, that is just like a circus trick. â€œ